Xingming Observatory

Xingming Observatory (Chinese: 星明天文台; pinyin: xīng míng tiān wén tái) is a private amateur astronomical observatory located in Gangou Township, Ürümqi, Xinjiang, China. The observatory was founded by amateur astronomer Gao Xing in 2007. The name "Xingming" is chosen partly to commemorate Zhou Xingming, a pioneer of amateur astronomy in China.^[1]

Xingming Observatory

Observatory code	C42, N86, N88, N89
Location	Ürümqi, People's Republic of China
Coordinates	43°28′15.0″N 87°10′39.6″E
Altitude	2080m
Established	2007
Website	xjltp.china-vo.org
Telescopes
NEXT 60cm f/8 Ritchey-Chrétien HMT 50cm f/3.5 reflector PSP 36cm f/6.9 Schmidt–Cassegrain
Location of Xingming Observatory

As of 2024, discoveries made by Xingming Observatory include 3 comets, 15 asteroids, 90 supernovae, 63 novae, and 111 dwarf novae.^[2][3]

Research Programs

The observatory conducts research in time-domain astronomy and solar system observations in collaboration with professional astronomers. It hosts XOSS (Xingming Observatory Sky Survey), an amateur sky survey that searches for transients, asteroids and comets.^[4] Observational data from Xingming Observatory contributed to published astronomy research since 2011.^[5]

Public Outreach

The observatory shares a number of telescopes with the public through the XPRO (Xingming Public Remote Observatory) program.^[6] It also operates PSP (Popular Supernova Project), a citizen science project for supernovae search, in collaboration with National Astronomical Observatories of China.^[7][8]